


Initial P5

by NiallWrites



Category: Initial D, Persona 5
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, F/M, Street Racing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:15:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21756442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NiallWrites/pseuds/NiallWrites
Summary: An Initial D AU of Persona 5 because why not?
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Niijima Makoto, Kurusu Akira/Niijima Makoto, Niijima Makoto/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 7
Kudos: 28





	1. First Day on the Job

"Uh, excuse me? This is Café Leblanc, right?" Ren asked as he stepped into a quaint, red themed café, a small roller suitcase trailing behind him. An old yet wise looking man was stood behind the counter, a cigarette between his fingers. He wore a simple pink shirt and black and white striped apron, his squinted eyes hidden behind a pair of reading glasses.

"Yep. You must be Ren, right?" the man asked. Ren couldn't put his finger on why, but something about the man seemed strange; he seemed to carry some kind of air of jaded mystery around him.

"Mm-hmm." Ren answered simply, trying to shake off the feeling. "That'd make you Sojiro Sakura, right?" he added, just to be sure. The man nodded.

"Futaba, show the guy to his room." Sojiro said before putting his cigarette out and beginning to brew a batch of coffee. Ren's gaze shifted around the dim room to find a small girl with long, flowing orange hair sat in a booth. Her laptop had an array of complex equations, graphs and paragraphs on it. Though it slightly intrigued Ren, he didn't care enough to actually look into it.

"Hi." she said, a little quietly. Her sheepishly smiling face was framed with glasses not unlike Ren's, and a slight blush was evident on her cheeks. She was quite cute, Ren thought. Not particularly his type, but cute all the same. She led him up the stairs and into a particularly bland looking bedroom, a simple matress and sheets set up on the floor. Save for that, a desk and a handful of car posters, the room was empty.

"Hey, I'm sorry, but I'm a little confused, who are you?" Futaba asked bluntly, though Ren didn't take much offense from it.

"I'm Ren Amamiya, a street racer from Tokyo."

"Huh, okay. Well then how'd you end up here?"

"Well, recently I had a pretty big loss. I crashed right in the middle of a race. I ended up fine, but my car..." Ren trailed off with a sigh, his hand clenched into a fist as he sighed. "Anyway, to make a long story short, I couldn't get my car fixed, fell behind on rent and ended up getting a delivery job for your dad." he summarised.

"Ooohh." Futaba realised. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure my dad's been making those runs since before I was born. Makes sense he'd wanna get someone else to do em." Futaba explained, leaning back on the desk chair.

"Wait, how long?"

"Well, every day for the past couple decades or so, my dad's been out on the mountain making his rounds to the hotels up the road." she said. Ren was in complete and absolute shock. "And, as you might be able to put together, that experience alone makes him the fastest driver on Akina. Heck, I'd bet he's even the fastest in all of Gunma."

Ren was still in disbelief. "Twenty years?" he managed to stammer out. He couldn't even begin to imagine driving the same course for that long, much less how fast that could make a driver. "He's not... gonna make me do it for that long, is he?" Ren asked in a worried tone, evoking a hearty laugh from Futaba.

"I don't... I don't think you'll have to worry about that." she said between breaths, wiping a tear from her eyes.

"Anyway, what about you? What's your deal?" Ren asked as Futaba finally calmed down.

"Oh, sorry. I'm Futaba Sakura, Sojiro's daughter. I may look like your ordinary high schooler by day, but at night," she said, pushing her glasses up her nose; Ren could have sworn the lens flashed with light as she did, "I'm the strategist mastermind of Akina's very own speed team: the Akina Speed Stars!" she announced proudly, pumping a fist in the air. Ren chuckled at her display; he figured she must have been an anime fan.

"I suppose you want me to join?" Ren suggested, half joking.

"Yeah, that'd be cool. We only have like two or three good drivers anyway." she admitted.

"Hm... I guess I could give it a shot." Ren decided. He'd never tried joining a team before, though he figured it couldn't hurt.

"We can head up tonight if you want."

"Sounds good."

\--

Ren was suddenly regretting taking this job. "An 86?" he asked, looking over Sojiro's car. Of all the things he expected to see behind the garage door of the supposed fastest driver in Gunma, a simple looking Toyota Trueno Apex Sprinter Ae86 wasn't on the list.

"Hey, beggars can't be choosers, kid." Sojiro said, tapping some ash from his cigarette.

Ren was about to argue, only for Futaba to interrupt, "Oh believe me, this is no _ordinary_ 86\. While it may look it on the outside, under this hood is an untamed beast. Dad's spent years turning this thing into the ultimate racing machine." she gushed, grinning all the while.

"I'd be amazed if it even got us _up_ the mountain." Ren remarked, a hand resting on the hood. The car was a plain white, 'Café Leblanc' written on the side. It looked awfully boring, he thought. He figured Sojiro was right, however: beggars can't be choosers. He'd have to drive this thing whether he liked it or not. He opened the door to find a bucket seat, to his surprise. 'Huh... not bad.' he thought, sitting down as Futaba took the passenger seat.

"I told the team's leader we're coming. He's cool. A little stupid, but cool. I think you'll like him though." Futaba said, though Ren wasn't entirely listening. He was feeling around the car; gripping the steering wheel, testing the clutch, the works. "You look like a kid playing in an arcade game without a quarter in." Futaba remarked, quite amused at the idea. Ren sighed, finally biting the bullet and starting the car.

To his surprise, the engine began to growl smoothly; Ren found it quite appealing. Gripping the steering wheel once again, Ren lightly pressed on the gas. The car felt as though it was gliding as it rolled out of its parking spot and turned into the road. "Well, it's a smooth ride, I'll give it that. As far as the speed goes, though it feels like any old 86." Ren observed as the car accelerated and headed towards the mountain.

\--

"I think that's them!" A black haired, ponytailed girl around Ren's age called as a pair of flip-up headlights came into view. The 86 soon cruised up the road, pulling a slick 180 turn as it stopped by the girl. Ren stepped out,

"You guys the Akina Speed Stars?" he asked,

"We might be, what of it?" a voice answered back. A man with bright blonde hair stepped to the girl's side. He wore a purple hoodie and had a serious look on his face; he too looked to be about Ren's age.

"Um..."

"Nah, just messin with ya! Yeah, that's us." the man said, his whole demeanour changing in an instant. Ren felt a mix of relief and confusion.

"Ugh, you know that's never gonna land, right?" the girl said. "Sorry about him. Name's Shiho Suzui, you?" she said with a smile, offering Ren a handshake.

"Ren Amamiya." he replied, gladly accepting.

"So you're Sojiro's new delivery guy? Some big shoes to fill there." the man pointed out, "I'm Ryuji Sakamoto by the way, leader of the speed stars."

"Not that you'd ever be able to guess if you saw him out on the road." Futaba chimed in with a smirk.

"Oh shut it, Futaba!"

"Anyway, we were about to start our runs for tonight, what do you think, you wanna go for a battle?" Shiho offered with a friendly smile, jerking a thumb at her white Nissan 180SX Type II. Ren was about to agree when the sharp roar of an engine cut him off. The four looked down the road to see a dark blue and black Mazda RX-7 FD roll up across the road from them and slow to a stop. It was followed by another RX-7; a white Savanna FC, a handful of other cars and two vans. Each and every vehicle in the group clearly displayed a sticker that read 'RedSuns'.

"No way... the Akagi RedSuns?" Ryuji muttered as a girl stepped out of the FD. She had short brown hair and wore a simple short-sleeved, black leather jacket. Ren felt the determined look in her crimson eyes pierce his very being. Another woman stepped out of the FC. She had long silver hair tied in a ponytail and had a similarly spirited look in her identically red eyes. Ren felt he could have cut the tension in the air with a knife as the rest of the newcomers stepped out.

"This is the best this mountain has to offer?" the woman said to herself, looking over the group with disappointment.

"Those are the Nijima sisters," Futaba frantically explained to Ren, "they're street racing legends! Especially the woman with the FC, Sae Nijima, better known as Akagi's Silver Comet!" she said, though Ren could've cared less; it was the brown haired girl that seemed to pique his interest. He could sense a burning fire residing within her.

Soon enough, the girl began to speak up. "Okay listen up, we're the Akagi RedSuns, maybe you've heard about us. We're looking for the fastest team or fastest driver on this mountain, you guys wanna claim that?" she called across the road.

"We're the Akina Speed Stars, and yeah, that'd be us." Shiho called back, a confident look in her eyes.

"Well, that was easy." Sae remarked. "So, what do you say we hold a practice between our teams? We could do it tonight if you're up for it." she suggested. The idea was unnerving to Ryuji and Shiho, to say the least. They seemed to shudder just hearing Sae talk.

"Come on guys, it could be fun." a man said as he stepped out from the RedSuns' group. "Going up against each other just isn't really doing it for us anymore, we wanna mix it up a little. Besides, it'll all be in good fun. By going up against other teams, we'll all be able to improve, share techniques, and maybe even make some friends. So, what do you say?" he asked, a friendly smile on his face as he walked over and offered a handshake to the group.

"Well when they put it so effin' nicely, how are we supposed to refuse?" Ryuji growled under his breath. He sighed as he reluctantly hopped over the guard rail and shook the man's hand.

"Great. We'll send two drivers out at a time, alternating between downhill and uphill runs, that sound good?"

"Sure." Ryuji grumbled; the man was agonisingly optimistic.

"Great, let's get started then." the man said, stepping back as the brown haired girl began picking some drivers.

"Hey, Futaba, who's the brown haired girl?" Ren asked.

"Oh, that's Makoto Nijima, Sae's younger sister. She's fast. Not as fast as Sae, but she's got some good instinct on her. Her FD's nothing to sneeze at either. That thing kicks ass on the straights." she replied. Makoto Nijima. Ren couldn't help but play the name over through his head as he watched her expertly manage her team; their first driver reached the starting line within moments.

"Hey, you should probably move the 86." Futaba said, snapping Ren from his trance. "Actually, on second thought, you probably ought'a head out. Dad'll have you on the deliveries pretty early in the morning, plus we'll need the mountain clear if we wanna push the team. We can sort out your initiation or whatever another time. Sound good?"

"Sure. You want a ride back?"

"Nah, I'll catch one with Ryuji. Besides, I gotta stick around to set some strats up. See you 'round, though." she said, giving Ren a pat on the back as she stepped off. Ren was quick to start the 86 back up and head back down the mountain, somewhat worried by the thought of early morning driving.

\--

And early morning it was. Sojiro woke Ren up at about four in the morning to send him out onto the mountain with a backseat full of curry and coffee beans. He was also given a paper cup filled to about a quarter of the way with water.

"Here. When you're up there, make sure the water ripples as less as possible. I'll add more when I think you're ready." he'd said. Ren realised he wouldn't be figuring him out for a long while. Either way, he was given his task, and so he'd stick to it. Having partially learnt the mountain from his previous drives up and down, Ren felt he could push for some speed. He sped through a few curves and drifted a hairpin or two, though the water proved a problem. It was rolling one way and then the other, turn after turn, and spilled more often than not when he tried to push for speed. He tried a few different approaches and techniques, but nothing seemed to work all that well. After making his deliveries, Ren was quick to discard the water. Additionally, this meant he was free to see how fast this 'ultimate racing machine' could really go.

\--

"So, what do you make of the Speed Stars?" Sae asked, idly lighting a cigarette.

"Are you kidding? They're absolute jokes. I'm probably set for practice from tonight alone." Makoto said.

"Don't get too arrogant. You never know, maybe they have some kind of ace up their sleeve. The course is so technical, I can't imagine they're the only people who run it. Anyway, I'm gonna head off for the night."

"Alright, see you!" Makoto called as Sae entered her FC and expertly sped off, a distant screech of tires sounding as her taillights disappeared around a corner. "The sun will be coming up soon. I should probably head back too." she figured to herself, going to start up her FD one last time. She'd gotten the hang of the course pretty easily; it wasn't too dissimilar to Akagi. She already felt she knew which turns to drift on, how late to brake on some turns; she figured that by the time a serious battle started up, she'd have it down to a science. She breathed a sigh of relief as she hit a straightaway. She wasn't pushing the car this run, and it showed, given how smoothly it moved down the road. Despite her 'need for speed' mindset, she always admired calm moments like this. She especially admired the distant view of the town, and how the various lights all looked like glimmering stars from so far away.

Suddenly, however, a pair of headlights appeared in her rear view, snapping her from her trance. 'Huh, must have missed someone.' she thought before the headlights began to draw closer. "So that's how you wanna play, huh?" she remarked, pressing down on the accelerator. "A couple of corners and this guy won't even be in my rear view mirror." she reckoned as a corner quickly approached. She shifted gears, hit the brake and slid into and around the hairpin. After a quick adjustment, she gassed out, a subsequent hairpin coming up fast. She attacked it the same way, drifting around without so much as thinking about it.

However, despite her skill the headlights suddenly reappeared right beside her. Despite her shock, she was finally able to get a good look at the car they belonged to.

"What the hell? An 86?" she yelled as she sped out of the corner, the 86 now hot on her tail. Before she knew it, her forehead was dripping with cold sweat; how was an old clunker like that keeping up with her FD? Before she could even begin to think, however, the next turn appeared. Caught off guard, Makoto had to brake hard, pulling off a much slower drift than her last and sliding out somewhat. Meanwhile, the 86 took the inside, sliding around the corner with incredible speed. Makoto was still determined to keep up, however, and managed to trail behind. She slowed down a touch; she remembered an upcoming corner catching her off guard more than once during her runs. However, the 86's speed remained constant.

"Doesn't he know this road? After this soft right, there's a sharp left. If he doesn't hit the brake, he's going straight into the ravine!" she said, her tone fraught with worry. Suddenly, with the same whipping motion as last time, the car effortlessly swung into the opposite direction, sliding flawlessly into the next corner as Makoto slammed on the brakes in shock, panting as her heart pounded in her chest. "What... What in the hell just happened? Was that an inertia drift?" she gasped with awe as the 86's engine faded from earshot. She fell back in her seat, feeling as if she had just woken up from some freakish nightmare. "Wait... no way that was that guy from the Speed Stars... Is he meant to be some kind of secret weapon or something?" she thought frantically, still trying to get a grip on her nerves. "Hell, the way that thing cornered could rival Sae. It must have some kind of monster under the hood or something."

"One thing's for sure though," she said, gripping her steering wheel tightly, "I'm not letting it pass me again."


	2. Tokyo Daylight

Ren drowsily awoke the next morning, a few slivers of sunlight filtering through his curtains as he yawned, stretched and rested on his mattress. He checked his phone. For one, it was almost noon, telling him how much his sleep schedule was already suffering. Secondly, he quickly noticed a text he'd received from an unknown number.

'Hey, it's Ryuji from last night (Futaba gave me your number). Sorry that we didn't get to talk much last night. Work's pretty slow, so it probably wouldn't hurt if you wanted to come and talk for a while. Me and Shiho work at the gas station, you probably passed it on your way up last night.'

Deciding he had nothing better to do, Ren headed over after a light breakfast of curry. He walked, figuring it would be good to get a better look at the area (additionally, the 86 wasn't technically his). He passed a few stores, though nothing really seemed to interest him. He reached the gas station before long, Ryuji and Shiho having just finished with a customer.

"Hey man!" Ryuji called as he noticed Ren crossing over.

"Ren, it's good to see you!" Shiho added. "How was work last night?"

"Tiring. I pretty much just woke up about half an hour ago."

"Gees, that's rough!" Ryuji remarked.

"Sounds like it. Although, maybe there's some kinda trick to it. I mean, if Sojiro kept it going for all those years..." Shiho suggested,

"That'd make sense, yeah. I don't see how you can trick out of sleeping though." Ren said, yawning with yet another stretch. As he relaxed, another two cars pulled into the station.

"Crap. Hey, would you mind helping us out a little? Usually we'd have Futaba around, but she's at school. It'll just be washing and filling up cars, nothing you shouldn't already know how to do."

"Sure." Ren said apathetically as Ryuji tossed him a cloth. Tying his jacket around his waist, Ren got to work. He was efficient enough, and felt as though the work improved his proficiency (whatever _that_ was supposed to mean).

"Who's this?" an older man asked. Ren turned from his last customer to see him talking with Ryuji and Shiho.

"Oh, sorry, Mr Yoshida. This is our friend Ren, he offered to help us out while Futaba's at school." Shiho explained.

"I see." the man said; he was about Sojiro's age, and was dressed in the same blue uniform as Ryuji and Shiho. "You're Sojiro's new guy, right?"

"Sure am." Ren said as he gave him a handshake.

"So he finally went and did it. We're old friends, him and I. I remember when he used to race. I tell ya, he was a legend. Never lost once." the man reminisced. Ren couldn't help but feel a weight suddenly form on his shoulders. "Anyway, I suppose you can't do any harm if you wanna help out on your off-time. I'm fine to pay you a little pocket change too."

"Thanks." Ren said politely with a smile as another car pulled in, prompting him to get back to work.

\--

The trio remained hard at work for a good few hours. It was all going well until a certain dark blue and black FD slowed into the gas station. "Oh great." Ryuji muttered as the window slid open.

"Hi-octane, please. Oh, it's you." Makoto realised as she looked at the trio. She seemed to glare at Ren; their eyes locked for a few moments before Ryuji nudged him, prompting him to wipe her windshield as he went for the gas pump. 'This _can't_ be the guy from last night.' she thought skeptically as she watched Ren; he looked so ordinary. His clothes, his hair; nothing had tipped her off in the slightest when she'd seen him last night. Either way, she felt she wouldn't be satisfied unless she asked.

"So… Do you happen to know anything about an 86 that runs Akina late at night?" she asked. Ren remained silent for a moment.

"I might." he responded smoothly, effortlessly keeping his cool. "What of it?"

"Well it just so happens I got passed by one last night."

"Makes sense. You've only been around here for one night, right?" Ren retorted with a smirk.

"The power difference between my FD and an 86 is way too wide. It shouldn't have caught up with me as fast as it did. It couldn't have." Makoto ranted. Ren couldn't help but let out a tiny chuckle. "It was you, wasn't it? Well, let me tell you something, it won't happen again. When we race for real-"

"That'll be 500 yen." Ren cut her off, his smirk widening ever further.

Makoto groaned, "Here." she said with a grunt, handing Ren the money.

"Thank you for your business." he teased as he stepped off.

'Maybe it wasn't him after all.' Makoto thought with a sigh as she drove out of the station.

"Did she say anything?" Ryuji asked with worry as Ren returned to the group.

"No, not really." Ren said casually, taking a sip of a water bottle as he watched Makoto drive off.

\--

After they had finished work, Ryuji and Shiho showed Ren to a small ramen shop in the backstreets, one Ryuji was clearly keen on introducing. As he'd promised, the ramen was quite nice. "So hey, I wanted to ask you something." Shiho said; Ryuji seemed to be too focused on his food to notice.

"What is it?"

"How did you end up here in Akina anyway? Futaba said you were kinda vague about your story. It's fine if you don't want to, I'm just a little curious."

"Well, it was about a month ago now. I was in a battle with this one guy. I managed to pull ahead at the start, but he was pretty much glued to my bumper the whole time. At some point, the guy bumps me and drives off while I spin out off the road." he explained. Silence fell over the three of them, a look of shock on Ryuji and Shiho's faces.

"Oh god. Were you alright?"

"I was. I can't say the same about my car though." Ren remarked with a sigh, his hand clenched as it rested on his leg.

"Do you remember much about the guy?" Shiho asked carefully, all too aware of the sensitivity of the subject.

"Ironically enough, all I remember was that he drove an 86." Ren revealed.

"For real!?" Ryuji yelled, attracting a decent amount of attention.

"Sorry about him." Shiho apologised with a smile, elbowing Ryuji.

"Ow! Seriously though, no kidding?"

"Nope. I'm here because an 86 bumped me and got me to wreck." Ren summarised, some annoyance in his tone.

"Man, that sucks!"

"Thanks for telling us. We can stop talking about it if you want." Shiho suggested sincerely.

"I'd like that, thanks." Ren said simply.

\--

That night, Makoto was back on the mountain. After last night, she swore to herself she'd look the mountain up and down as many times as she had to in order to find the 86. "Come on, 86. You can't hide from me forever." she muttered under her breath as she attacked another corner. Between the jerking movements of the car and how loud her tires were squealing, it was clear she was driving much more aggressively. She was worked up; she just couldn't get the image of that 86 passing her out of her head. She could practically see it effortlessly change direction while drifting whenever she blinked. It frustrated her to no end, a fact shown clear as the moonlit sky in her driving that night.

She returned home early that night, simply hoping she could sleep off the feeling.

"Makoto?" Sae asked from inside her room.

"Yeah?" she replied as she stepped inside. Sae's room was quite barren save for some posters, bulletin boards, her bed, and her computer setup, the monitors of which displayed various charts and graphs of information.

"I wanted to ask you about that 86." she said. Makoto wanted to groan as she heard the words '86'. "Could you describe the speed of the car to me?"

"Really? I don't know, I don't think I could describe it the way you would. It was fast, I guess. The way it cornered could have given you a run for your money."

"Honestly, the way you drive so well with so little technical knowledge." Sae muttered as she turned to her computer. "If it's as fast as you say, then that thing must have some kind of monster under the hood... I seriously can't imagine it's just some ordinary 86."

"Yeah, I figured." she said with a yawn. "I'm gonna hit the hay. Night." she added as she left, Sae returning it. As she lay down in bed, she thought about that guy she'd talked to earlier. Her thoughts stayed the same: mainly focusing on how ordinary he was. However, she couldn't help but think about the way he spoke to her. She knew flirting when she saw it, and it was clear as day as she thought back to that conversation. "Great, so he's faster than me and he's trying to charm me, perfect." she groaned into her pillow. She tried to convince herself that she hated him, that she had to oppose him with every fiber of her being in order to win, but the ever so slight blush that crept onto her face as she thought so told her otherwise.

\--

Ren yawned as he stepped up to the second floor of Leblanc; working at the gas station had left him quite drained, a fact he knew wouldn't help when he did his delivery run in the morning.

"Hey, how did your runs go last night?" Futaba asked, leaning against the threshold of her bedroom door. "Sorry for not asking sooner."

"They went fine, yeah."

"I don't suppose you timed them?"

"No, sorry."

"Dang it. Ah well, always next time, I guess." she thought as she went back into her room.

"Wait, why do you wanna know my time?"

"Well..." Futaba went quiet, pressing her index fingers together, "We've kinda been painted into a corner." she admitted, averting Ren's gaze, "The RedSuns are in another league; even Ryuji and Shiho don't stand a chance. Depending on your time, I was either gonna ask you or try and get Dad to represent us. I don't think he'd agree though. He gave up racing years ago. Sorry to bother you, though. Night, good luck in the morning." she sighed as she slunk back into her room.

"Night." Ren said just before the door closed. He also found himself sighing as he went to his room. He couldn't forget Futaba's upset face, or the weak hopelessness present in her voice. It made him think back to a month ago. After losing his car, he'd felt a similar hopelessness. Sojiro and Futaba had offered their help to him, and he felt as though he had to return the favour. As he fell asleep that night, that was the moment he decided he would take on Makoto Nijima in the Speed Stars' place.

**\--**

'Come on!' Shiho thought as she floored the accelerator, her 180SX speeding down a straightaway. No matter how many times she ran the course, she didn't feel she was getting any faster. She was trying everything, approaching every corner in a multitude of different ways, but nothing seemed to be clicking at all. She sighed as she hit another straightaway, looking down slightly. She didn't know how long she'd been running, but she was certainly tired. As much as she hated to admit defeat, she'd have to head home after this run.

"WATCH IT!" she heard a voice suddenly yell as the sharp tone of a car horn filled her ears. Shiho quickly snapped back to reality just in time to avoid an oncoming car. However, she found herself spiralling out of control immediately after. By the time she could even think to hit the brake, she had already slammed through the guard rail.

"What the hell do you think you were doing out-... oh... oh god... I-I'll call an ambulance! Stay with me kid, stay wi-- me..."


	3. The 86 Takes the Stage!

"WHAT?" Futaba yelled as Ryuji finished explaining.

"Is she alright?" Ren asked with concern.

"Well, physically, yeah, I guess, she was pretty lucky to only end up with a minor concussion and a small fracture in her arm. She didn't say a word while I was there though."

"She's probably still recovering from the shock." Ren explained, "Plus, her car's totalled. I might be able to relate, but I got bumped. I can't imagine how crushing it is for her to have to live with a mistake like that."

"Yeah, you're right." Ryuji agreed, a grave look on her face.

"So, what now?" Futaba asked, "Shiho was our best driver, and even then the RedSuns outclassed us."

Ryuji sighed, as if to admit defeat, "I think we're gonna have to get your dad." Futaba opened her mouth to argue, "But, if we can't get him to budge, I'll do it." he said. "I'm the leader, it's time I started acting like it."

Futaba was about to complain, but held her tongue; she didn't want to spoil the moment. Additionally, he was probably right: she'd be hard pressed to get Sojiro to race for them. As happy as Ryuji was to comply, a weight still remained in her heart. Ren watched her downtrodden frown with sympathy.

\--

After work, the trio went to see Shiho. Though she still remained silent, she didn't need any words as she clutched her car keys tightly. A nurse told them she'd be ready to go the next day, just in time for the battle, Ryuji pointed out.

After that, they headed to Leblanc. Futaba left the talking to Ryuji.

"Hey, Boss." he said in a friendly enough tone, giving a slight wave.

"Sakamoto." he said back blankly.

"So, hey we've got this race tomorrow-"

"No." he cut him off.

"What?"

"What do you mean no?" Futaba burst out, "Come on, dad, please, we're backed against the wall! It'd be a complete failure if we tried to race them!"

"Hey, come on!" Ryuji butted in. Sojiro remained silent as he idly tapped his cigarette for ash. Futaba stared intensely at him. They remained like this for a while. Despite Sojiro's permanent squint, Ren could tell they were making eye contact the whole time.

"...Fine. _Maybe_ I'll show up." Sojiro finally said, breaking the silence.

"YES!" Futaba and Ryuji cheered in unison, looking about ready to hug. Ren couldn't help but laugh along with them.

"Hey, I said maybe." Sojiro said, though his warning seemed to fall on deaf ears. He sighed as Futaba and Ryuji continued to celebrate.

"Come on, this calls for some food." Ryuji remarked as he led Futaba and Ren out of the shop.

"Hey kid."

"Hm?" Ren asked, turning around.

"Just as a warning, I might ask you to race tomorrow night."

"What? That's insane, I've only-"

"Don't play dumb with me. I've been timing you while you've been out. I don't know how you've done it, but if I've done the math right, you've already beat Sakamoto's time by miles. I think you'd have a decent shot against whoever's giving them trouble." Sojiro explained.

Ren wanted to act nervous, though he let his true feelings show. He smirked at Sojiro, "I wouldn't have it any other way." he said smoothly before heading out.

Sojiro sighed again, this time with a slight chuckle, "He reminds me of me and I think that's the problem." he joked before getting back to work.

\--

The next night seemed to come before the group even knew it.

"So, did you manage to convince Sojiro?" Yoshida had asked earlier that day. Ryuji explained the answer, at which Yoshida grimaced. "Yeah, he's probably not gonna show."

"What?"

"If I know anything about Sojiro, it's that he'll never give a straight answer unless he means it."

"S-so I'm still gonna have to race?" Ryuji asked. Yoshida nodded grimly. "FU-"

\--

Past his initial annoyance, Ryuji found himself quickly growing more and more nervous as the battle drew closer and closer. Despite his expectations, Shiho's attempts at encouragement didn't help either. He spun out multiple times during his practice runs, and he could hardly look Makoto in the eye whenever she asked if they were ready. Whereas Ryuji wanted to go and get the massacre over with, Futaba was determined to have faith in Sojiro. Before long, it was about 9:55.

Despite how much she felt she didn't want to, Futaba gave in, "Okay, I guess he's not showing. Ryuji... good luck." she wished gravely. Ryuji seemed more nervous than ever as his Nissan Silvia S13 pulled up to the start line.

He could feel Makoto's penetrating gaze on him from her window, "_This _is the best they could come up with?"

"Okay, let's start the countdown!" a man from the RedSuns declared, "Ten! Nine!"

"Hold on guys, we've got a street car coming." a voice said from the man's radio.

"Oh... What do you say guys, do we go anyway?"

"Of course! Come on, let's just get going, we'll blow right past him!" Makoto insisted.

"Wait!" Futaba yelled, "What was the make of the car?"

"Uh..." he leaned into his radio, "Hey guys, what was the make of the car?"

"Well, it's a little hard to tell... it had flip-up headlights... an 86 maybe?" he said.

"YES!" Futaba cheered, laughing as Ryuji stepped out of his car.

"I don't believe it!"

"Finally. Things are about to get interesting." Makoto muttered with a smirk, "Come on, 86, show me what you've got."

\--

Yusuke watched with fascination as an 86 cruised up the road and smoothly swung around the corner he was watching from.

"You alright there, Kitagawa?" a friend asked, noticing his shocked expression.

"Sorry, it's just... that 86 moved with such grace. The way it swung out its rear as it came around the corner was exceptional."

"Um... it just looked like any old 86 to me."

"It certainly wasn't. It's not everyday you see a driver who works their car better than their own two feet, but when you do, you can tell based on the aura coming off the car."

"Aura?"

"I'll put it like this: Sae Nijima's aura is strong, so strong you can really tell she's the fastest in the region. Her younger sister Makoto's is strong, but not as strong by a long shot. That 86, however... it was giving off something fierce." Yusuke said, utterly transfixed as the 86 headed towards the top of the mountain.

\--

"Hey, Ryuji, move your car!" Futaba nudged him.

"Oh, right!" Ryuji realised, getting back in his S13 and reversing it back into the parking lot. As he did, the 86 appeared. It went up the road a little before pulling a familiar 180 spin.

"Wait... Oh god." Futaba muttered, recognising the spin in an instant. "It can't be him..." she tried to tell herself as the 86 stopped by Makoto's FD. From it stepped Ren. A silence quickly dropped over Futaba, Shiho and Ryuji.

"I knew it was you!" Makoto said as she too stood up.

"You're not disappointed, are you?" Ren quipped, much to her annoyance.

"R... Ren?" Futaba asked, "Why are you here?"

"Well, your dad asked me to race."

"Why? If anything, you'd be a worse choice than-"

"I've already beat Makoto before." Ren revealed, shocking the trio once again, "I saw her out on my run the other night and passed her like it was nothing."

Futaba was at a loss for words. "W-why didn't you tell me?" she asked. Ren simply shrugged, at which she groaned.

"Well, I mean, if he's telling the truth, then he's our best shot, right?" Shiho suggested, "Besides, we're backed against a corner, what choice do we have?"

Futaba remained silent for a moment, thinking it over, "Fine." she sighed, "I guess my dad wouldn't have sent you for nothing. You can race her, but I swear to god, if you lose-"

"Hey, can we start already?" Makoto yelled.

"Well, I guess that's that." Shiho remarked, "Do your best out there, okay Ren?" she asked, offering him a high five.

"No problem." Ren replied, taking it. First, however, he stepped over to Makoto. "Hey, I'm Ren Amamiya. Sorry for not introducing myself earlier." he said, offering a handshake.

"Makoto Nijima. Don't forget it."

"Wasn't planning on it." Ren smirked. "So, you got a boyfrie-"

"Maybe you could race me before you ask me out?"

"Fair enough." Ren chuckled, returning to the 86. He took a deep breath as he gripped the steering wheel. This was perfect; he felt as though he was in perfect sync with the car.

"Okay, let's try this again! Five!"

Ren felt his heartbeat quicken.

"Four!"

Makoto's gaze sharpened as she feathered the accelerator.

"Three!"

Ren smirked, both of the engines' roars filling his ears.

"Two!"

Makoto took a deep breath, adrenaline pumping through her veins like a piston.

"One!"

Both of them held their handbrakes tightly.

"Go!"

They were off.

In the startup, the FD quickly took the lead, its turbo doing wonders for its acceleration. Though the 86 was behind, it certainly wasn't slow, given how it soon began rocketing forwards.

"Go get her, Ren!" Ryuji cheered as they disappeared down the road.

"Y'know, the one fatal flaw of street racing has gotta be that after they pass your spot, that's all you see." Futaba remarked in a passive aggressive tone.

"Yeah." Ryuji agreed grimly.

\--

"I don't like to pull ahead on the straights, but I can't take any chances, plus, this is a time attack after all." Makoto said to herself as the first hairpin approached. Smiling confidently, she pulled off a nearly perfect drift, the audience cheering madly.

"That was amazing! You can really tell why people say she's such a good driver, right Kitagawa?"

"..." Yusuke remained silent, 'Come on 86, prove to me that aura wasn't just for show!' he thought. As if on cue, the 86 appeared from around a bend.

"Hey, isn't he coming in too fast?" his friend asked. While some stepped back, Yusuke remained rooted to his spot. As he expected, the 86 pulled off a flawlessly fast drift, attacking the corner perfectly sideways and gassing out with perfect timing.

"Woah! H-how did he even do that?"

"It's certainly mysterious. I sure would like to find out, though." Yusuke said, looking to his parked Honda Civic EG6.

\--

"I'm telling ya, man, that thing pulled through here faster than I've ever seen a car move!" the man said through the radio. A bead of sweat formed on the recipient's forehead.

"Well, what's your take, Sae?" he asked.

The silverette thought for a moment, "Well, it started up like any old 86, no extra power or anything. Maybe it isn't like Makoto said, and there isn't a monster under the hood. However, there might just be one behind the wheel." she said, glaring towards the Speed Stars.

"Oh man, I've got goosebumps!" Ryuji said.

"This is insane! He's only been here for a few days, how is he so fast?" Shiho wondered.

"I don't know! I gotta say though, it sure seemed to work out." Futaba remarked with a grin.

\--

Makoto rested a little as she cleared another corner. "That 86'll be eating my dust by now." she thought, smirking. However, much to her terror, a pair of headlights suddenly appeared in her rear view from the last corner. "Dammit! Nothing's changed! It's alright, though, it's alright," she desperately tried to convince herself, "After these next few curves and a hairpin, there's a good straightaway. I can pull away there."

She expertly manoeuvred the curves, barely losing any speed. She attacked the hairpin with all she had, giving it a pent up "Haaaah!" to boot. However, to her frustration, she found the 86 side by side with her in the hairpin. Taking no chances, she quickly made a mad dash down the straightaway. Although, despite everything, the 86 still managed to catch up to her in the next corner. She barely pulled away before it could pass, scraping a lead before the next hairpin. Once again, she barely made it out. Finally, they had reached a decently long straightaway where she was able to pull away, even if only slightly.

Ren watched her from behind, a smirk stretching across his face. "Damn, she's really giving it all she's got." he thought as she whipped around a bend. He followed closely, still hot on her tail. He couldn't help but feel his heartbeat quicken as he watched her. Whereas her fire kindled before, now that they were battling out on the road, he saw a burning blaze.

"She's got the advantage on the straights." he noted, "If I'm gonna make my move, I guess it'd have to be in those five consecutive hairpins." he decided certainly. He'd likely be able to put that advice Sojiro gave him to good use, too...


	4. Ren and Makoto: Romantic Rivals

"You're not making me take the cup this time?"

"You don't need it; there's no curry in the back. You're free to drive as fast as you want, alright?"

"Got it." Ren said, starting up the engine.

"By the way, I wanna give you some advice."

"Oh?"

"I was planning on holding out, but Futaba seems desperate, so here: you know those five consecutive hairpin turns?"

"Yeah, they're a pain. What about them?"

"A trick I picked up years ago is to let your inside tires fall into the gutters and let those bring you around the corner."

"Won't that mess up the suspension?"

"Well, it's an old car, so it's elevated just high enough so that you can do it."

Ren smiled, "Not bad, old man."

"Hey, this means a lot to Futaba, so don't take it lightly, alright?"

"Yeah, I know. Don't worry, I've got this."

\--

"Apparently they're already at the five hairpins." Ryuji relayed.

"Damn. We've been running this course for years and we still struggle to keep momentum on those. This could be a make or break moment for both of them." Shiho noted.

"Let's just hope Ren knows what he's doing." Futaba said, her hands clenched into fists.

\--

Makoto was almost ready to admit defeat; she knew that five whole, consecutive hairpins were coming up. She knew she stood no chance against the drifting monster chasing her.

Ren watched; Makoto's fire seemed to be wavering.

"What am I thinking? I'm losing to an 86, for god's sake, anything's possible!" she yelled, flooring the gas.

"That's it!" Ren smiled as her fire returned, chasing closely. The first hairpin quickly approached. Deciding to hold off at least a little, Ren pulled off a simple yet expertly performed drift, practically perfectly in sync with Makoto's; their cars were almost completely side by side to boot. That was one down. The next hairpin came before they knew it. Makoto pulled off another, even faster drift. Ren followed closely behind, almost transfixed as her fire burned brighter than ever.

However, he wasn't about to let that distract him. His gaze locked onto his target as he veered right. The car rattled a little as the tires dropped into the gutter, but not nearly enough to break his concentration. It was just as Sojiro said; the 86 whipped around the corner with amazing speed. The momentum itself upon exiting allowed him to pass Makoto with little to no difficulty.  
  
"W-what?" Makoto gasped, lost for words as the 86 began to pull ahead once again. After the next hairpin, she could only watch as it effortlessly sped off, his taillights whipping around the next after that. After that, he had completely disappeared. Makoto sighed sadly. She cleared the rest of the course as quickly as she could, though the loss clearly brought her down. She soon reached the bottom, where she was surprised to find Ren had been waiting for her.

She sighed as she stepped out of her FD, "What do you want now?"

"I just wanted to thank you." Ren said simply.

"Thank me? For what, losing?"

"No, of course not. I wanted to thank you for showing me what you're really like. Out there, I could really tell you were putting everything you had into that race. So, I wanted to thank you for letting me race you and see that and all." he explained, offering her a handshake.

Makoto looked into his eyes; she could tell this wasn't his usual smugness. Ren had a soft, genuine smile on his face. Makoto felt her heart swell a little as she took the handshake. "You're welcome... it was a good race." she remarked, unable to help but smile back.

"So, about what you said-" Ren tried to say, only to once again be cut off, this time by the screech of tires. Ren and Makoto looked to see Sae's FC come drifting out of the last turn. She easily avoided their cars before stopping harshly. She stepped outside, a look of annoyance on her face. Makoto's face seemed to return to her downtrodden expression as she stepped over.

"Sis." she addressed her sadly, though she didn't dare make eye contact.

"I can't believe you were careless enough to lose to the same driver twice. Honestly, I should cut you off the team right now." she said. Makoto's frown seemed to extend with every word; Ren noticed her hands were clenched into fists. "The fact that you've come so far and yet-"

"Hey, didn't you hear about her out there?"

"What did you see? You blasted past her, apparently."

"I could ask you the same. Look, what I saw was a strong, incredible driver with amazing potential who gave it everything she had out there!" Ren argued.

"If she's so good than why didn't she win against some 86?"

"Sis, he's too good! You heard me the other day when I said the speed was almost inhuman! Look, if you don't believe me, why don't you just race him yourself?" she yelled. Though the last part seemed to be a last ditch effort, Sae actually began to think it over...

"Perhaps I will." she answered, much to Makoto's fear, "Ren Amamiya, was it? Enjoy this victory while it lasts. Soon I'll teach you what it means to cross Sae Nijima." Sae warned, coldly staring at Ren. Ren seemed unfazed, given how he returned it with an equally stoic gaze. After that, Sae returned to her FC before driving off.

"I'm... I'm so-" Makoto tried to apologise,

"Don't worry." Ren said, "It's fine. I can take her."

"Haven't you been listening at all? She's the best driver-"

"I don't care."

"W-what?"

"Look, to me, all that matters in street racing is two drivers battling it out with all they've got. I could care less about who I'm up against. When I'm on the road, all that matters to me is their skills." Ren explained.

Makoto was lost for words, "Racing must really mean a lot to you."

"It's everything to me." Ren replied, "I can't count how many times I've had a bad day, got on the road and just left it all behind. It's the only place I can be totally carefree." he said, watching Makoto's face, "You agree with me, don't you?"

"I... I don't even know." she said, "I think I'll need some time to think that one over."

"That's fine. Let me know when you find out, alright?" Ren said, offering her a small slip of paper.

"Will do." Makoto smiled as she took it. Ren felt his heart swell a little; her smile looked so soft and serene. "Well, see you around, Ren." she said as she returned to the FD.

"You too!" he called, smiling back. He was happy to see a gentler, almost happier fire from her car as she sped off.

\--

Before long, Ryuji's S13 reached the bottom of the mountain. "Nice one, man!" he cheered, giving Ren a satisfying high five as he, Shiho and Futaba stepped out of the car.

"Looks like I was wrong to have my doubts." Futaba remarked, unable to help but grin ear to ear.

"So, you talked to her afterwards, huh?" Shiho asked with a smugness to her tone.

Ren was stuck there answering their questions for a good half an hour or so, though he enjoyed it all the while; Ryuji and Shiho's excitement seemed unwavering. However, Futaba eventually sprung the question he'd been expecting.

"So hey, I heard the way you cleared the five hairpins was almost inhuman. Even the most experienced drivers lose speed around there. How'd you manage that?" she asked as if she were interrogating him. Ren explained the gutter run, and how Sojiro had told him about it, at which she sighed. "Dammit, he's always holding out on stuff like that. Ah well. You did good out there, anyway!"

"So what happened between you and Makoto afterwards?" Shiho asked keenly.

"Oh, nothing much." Ren chuckled, "We just agreed it was a good race." he said. Shiho flashed a skeptical smirk, though held her tongue.

"Anyway," Ren yawned with a stretch, "I think I'm gonna head back. You want a ride, Futaba?"

"Yeah, sure." Futaba said as she hopped into the 86.

"Really though, man, we can't thank you enough." Ryuji said.

"Don't worry about it, really. It was fun, to be honest." Ren laughed, a smile on his face as he stepped back into the 86 and drove off.

"Fun, huh?" Ryuji wondered as he watched the 86 shrink down the road, "I wonder if that's all that's driving him. You gotta have some strong motivation for this kinda thing. I wonder what his is."

\--

"Eurobeat?" Futaba asked, watching Ren bop his head slightly as he listened to the high paced techno music sounding from the car's stereo.

"Yeah. It helps me focus." Ren answered simply.

"You got any Max Coveri?"

"Eh, I'm more of a Dave Rodgers kinda guy."

"Fair enough. I guess it must help. Even just riding with you now, it feels like you really know your way around the car." she noted as she comfortably leaned back in her seat.

Before they knew it, Ren had pulled into Sojiro's driveway. As Futaba stepped back inside, Ren took another look at the 86.

"Well, I guess she was right." Ren said as he placed a hand on the hood, almost stroking it as he smiled. "Looks like there really is more to you than meets the eye." he remarked.

\--

"Damn... your prediction was dead on, Yusuke."

"I know." Yusuke smiled as he leaned back on the door of his EG6.

"Hey, do you think you'd be able to take him?"

Yusuke chuckled, "No. I don't think I'd have a chance in hell. I'll admit though, it intrigues me to no end. I suppose I'd love to discover who was behind the wheel, too. Who knows? Maybe I will after all. Although, if anyone does have a chance, it might be _her_."

"Oh yeah, good point. That'd be one hell of a battle."

\--

Ren received Makoto's reply the next day. She asked to meet up at a highway café, which Ren was happy to comply to. Sojiro was even kind enough to lend him the 86 for the day. To his surprise, Ren found himself excited as he noticed her FD in the parking lot. He quickly parked beside her and headed into the restaurant. He noticed her quickly, finding her short braid crown unmistakable.

"Hey." he said simply as he stepped over.

"Hi." she greeted him with a smile as he sat down.

"So, did you find your answer?"

"I think so." she said, "You see, until now, I've seen racing like Sae's described it. She's always seen it as something that requires as much strategy and concentration as you can give it. But racing with you showed me something. On those hairpins, where I threw all caution to the wind and went at it with all I had, I felt alive. So, I guess to sum up, I've still gotta find out what racing means to me. But I'm gonna work as hard as I can until I do."

"Glad I could help." Ren said.

"But," she added sharply, "that doesn't mean I've forgotten about how I lost to you. I'm gonna be putting just as much work into beating you, alright?"

"Sure thing." he chuckled, "Anyway, I believe you mentioned you'd let me ask you out if I beat you?"

Makoto laughed, "You just don't give up, do you?"

"I suppose it's part of my charm." he quipped.

"I guess I don't have much room to talk. Alright then," she sighed, "if you're so persistent, how does next Saturday work?"

"That'd be perfect." Ren smiled.

"Alright. Guess I'll see you then." Makoto said as she stood up.

"Can't wait." Ren chuckled happily as he watched her step off. He continued to gaze contently as her FD exited onto the highway and sped off. Ren soon left himself, a beaming smile on his face and a warm, swelling feeling in his chest as he drove back to Leblanc.


	5. Enter the Night Kids

Ren grinned excitedly; he was back out on Akina's downhill, having just finished his delivery run. And, as before, he was giving it everything he had, drifting every hairpin perfectly and flooring the gas on every straight. He was truly in his element. Not to mention, he'd already gotten a great handle on the 86. While at first, the steering felt slippy at high speeds, he had now started to use that to expertly slide into corners. He had just cleared one such corner with incredible speed. He smirked; the five hairpins were coming up. Just like in his battle with Makoto, he used the gutter run, his inside tires dropping with a satisfying thud. Before he knew it, he'd cleared all five. The rest of the course didn't have many more turns that were as tight as that, giving him a lot more leverage for speed. It could have been a good section to make a pass on, he thought. He sighed happily once he'd made it back to Leblanc.

"Nice job." Sojiro remarked, waiting outside for him.

"Thanks." Ren replied with a chuckle, still unable to help but smile.

"You look pretty happy," Sojiro remarked, "I guess you won that race?"

"Oh, I won a lot more than that." he said with another smirk as he entered the café.

"I see... So he's only been here a week and he's got himself a date? I guess I can't exactly talk, though... After all, back in my day, _hoo boy._"

\--

"Ren?" Ryuji asked, noticing the boy's spaced out expression? "Ren!" he repeated. Ren finally seemed to snap back to reality.

"Y-yeah?" he asked with a yawn.

"You alright? You're even more spaced out than usual."

"Sorry, I was just thinking about something." he said, smiling once again.

"Alright..." Ryuji said before stepping over to the car Shiho and Futaba were cleaning. He grabbed a cloth so it didn't look as though he was slacking, too. "Something's up with Ren."

"Yeah, we noticed." Shiho replied, looking to the boy; he had spaced out again already.

"You think he's getting big headed after his victory?" Futaba suggested.

"No... he didn't seem it after the battle, at least." Shiho reminded her.

"He was out of town yesterday, right? Maybe that's got something to do with it."

"Good point, actually." Shiho said, a hand on her chin.

"Oh, maybe he's got a girlfriend from his hometown he visits!" Futaba added, a smug grin on her face.

"I... I guess that could explain why he's in such a good mood, yeah." she said, though she hardly expected Ryuji and Futaba had actually guessed right.

"Should we ask him?" Futaba asked.

"Nah," Shiho figured, "he probably went in private for a good reason. Let's not ruin his fun." she said with a slight chuckle to her tone.

"Fair enough." Futaba figured as she put the gas pump back.

"Thank you for your business!" Shiho called as the car pulled out of the station.

\--

Later that day, a distinct Honda Civic EG6 pulled into the station. What made it unusual was the sticker on the trunk window that read 'Night Kids'. From it stepped a thin, tall, dark blue haired man.

"Excuse me, can I ask you something?" he asked as he stepped over to Ren and the others.

"Go ahead, I guess." Ryuji answered with a shrug.

"I'm looking for the driver of a white 86. I saw them racing on Saturday, and since then I just felt I haven't been able to rest." he explained, a hand on his chin all the while.

"Uh, y-yeah, we might know him." Ryuji answered, prompting the man to smile. He looked to the man's sticker, "So, I imagine you'd wanna challenge him?"

"In a sense, I suppose. Although, really, win or lose, I just want to see his driving again." he explained.

Ryuji looked to Ren, who gave a small smile and nod, "Alright. We'll get in touch with him, I guess. Does Saturday work?" Ryuji asked, getting his phone out.

"Perfect." the man said as he pulled out his own; a flip phone, interestingly enough. "My name's Yusuke, by the way," he said once they exchanged numbers, "Yusuke Kitagawa of the Myogi Night Kids."

"Um... Ryuji Sakamoto of the Akina Speed Stars." Ryuji replied, somewhat weirded out by the way the man greeted them.

"I look forward to our battle." he said eloquently, offering a handshake.

Ryuji took it, "Sure thing." he said. Yusuke smiled as he stepped back to his car and rolled off. "He didn't even get gas." Ryuji remarked.

"Who cares?" Futaba said, a grin on her face, "Ren, did you hear that? You've been here, what, a week? And you've already got people challenging you!" she gushed enthusiastically. Ren smirked, chuckling slightly as she continued to praise him. She was right; it really was impressive that he was already in line for another battle.

Like with Makoto, Ren had sensed something in Yusuke too: an aura, as it were. However, whereas Makoto's aura was fiery and determined, Yusuke's seemed much more complex. Ren couldn't exactly put his finger on it, though he knew it was going to be an interesting battle for sure. Especially when it was right after his other arrangement for that day. Saturday was going to be good, and Ren smirked knowing such.

\--

Sojiro let out an almost relieved sigh as he pulled into the gas station a couple of nights later. He stepped out to find Yoshida had been waiting outside.

"I haven't seen you around here in a while." he remarked, cigarette in hand.

"I haven't had much of a reason to come." Sojiro replied, lighting his own, "I got a new delivery guy."

"Yeah, I know him."

Sojiro thought for a moment before saying, "Guess it figures if he's hanging out with Sakamoto. Anyway, it seems like he's been pushing the car pretty hard. I could tell just driving it over here."

"At least it's starting to see some action again." Yoshida said, placing a hand on the roof, "I remember loving watching this thing back in the day."

"Too bad you were always too scared to ride in it." Sojiro quipped, both of them chuckling, "Anyway, I figure it's not gonna last too long from now."

"That's a shame."

"Yeah. Luckily, though, the kid's got another car waiting."

"You thinking of calling _him_?"

"Well, apparently it's been wrecked pretty bad," Sojiro said, "but I'm sure it's nothing Iwai can't fix up."

\--

Makoto took a deep breath of the fresh spring air as she stepped out of her FD. That morning, she'd been called by her team's advisor (A/N: the guy who was super nice in Chapter 1 who's nondescript because I couldn't choose a stand-in for Fumihiro, I'm sorry) who asked to meet up and talk about her battle with Ren. Makoto obliged, admittedly not having much to do besides tuning her car. They met at a rest stop a little outside of Akagi.

"Hi." she said as she approached him.

"Hey." he replied, "So, I just wanted to ask a few questions."

"Fire away."

"Do you know how exactly the 86 passed you?"

Makoto thought for a moment before answering, "No, not really. It was during the five hairpins. I was giving it all I had. I stayed ahead on the first two, but after the third he'd blown right past me." she explained.

"He passed you on the corner?" he asked with surprise.

"He must have."

"Wow... The guy driving must have really been something else."

"He sure is." Makoto remarked, smiling.

"So, you're our Number Two driver. Considering he beat you, do you think he'd have what it takes to race Sae?"

Once again, Makoto had to think for a moment, "I'm really not sure. Something about him just had this air of mystery. I think we'd have to see him race again if we wanted to get a good guess."

"That's fair enough." the man remarked, "Now that you mention it, I've heard some rumours the Night Kids have got their eyes on him."

"You don't say?" she asked, a hand on her chin.

"That's what I heard, at least." he answered. Makoto's smile wavered slightly as she recalled her last encounter with the Night Kids. She remembered one particular Nissan Skyline R32 she had a score to settle with. A slight frown appeared on her face as she remembered it. "You alright?" the advisor asked.

"Oh, f-fine, sorry." Makoto answered, "Is that all?"

"Well, I had one more question." he said. Makoto remained silent as she listened, "What's your deal the guy in the 86?"

"What?" Makoto asked, the slightest blush creeping up on her face.

"Well, since Saturday, every night, you've been running Akagi like there's no tomorrow. I get you'd be pretty fired up after losing, but you seem happy about it. It just doesn't seem like you." he said. He then noticed that Makoto's blush had been deepening as he spoke, "Oh, so it's _that_ kind of thing?"

"W-what?" Makoto stammered, "No-"

"It's alright, I won't pry any further." he chuckled, waving his hands in a 'don't worry about it' fashion.

"Just... don't tell Sae, alright?" Makoto sighed.

"Sure thing." he promised, still smiling as he watched Makoto sigh with relief.

\--

Another night that week, the Speed Stars met at their usual spot at the top of Mount Akina's pass. Shiho had finally gotten her 180SX back, and was more than keen to take it back out on the mountain. The others complied, unable to help but share her almost childlike excitement. Additionally, Ryuji also had something in mind when they'd drove up that night.

"You wanna ride with me?" Ren repeated the blond's question.

"Yeah!" Ryuji answered with excitement. Ren raised an eyebrow at him, at which he elaborated, "Look, in just a few days, you've become pretty much the best driver on Akina. I just wanna see you drive and see if I can get an idea of how you did it."

"That's fair enough, I guess." Ren said, "Hop in." he added as he took his seat in the 86. Ryuji followed, buckling himself in and taking a stopwatch from his pocket. "Okay, five, four," he began to count down, Ren taking deep breaths as he revved up the engine, ready to drop the handbrake at any moment, "three, two one, go." he said, pressing start. Ren pressed down on the gas, holding off on flooring it right away to avoid wheelspin. A couple of seconds later, he shifted up to second gear, and then up to third a moment later; his shifts were perfectly timed with the engine's revs climbing in frequency. Before long, the two reached the first corner. Ryuji tried to watch Ren, though fear overtook him. They went quite far past where Ryuji would have hit the brakes before Ren finally feathered it. However, despite little control it gave him, he was easily able to whip around into the next straight.

About the same happened on the next turn. Although, on this one, Ryuji wasn't distracted by the speed, but the look on Ren's face. Despite the obvious expertise of his skills, he seemed laid back; he even had a relaxed smile on his face as he took the turn. Ryuji quickly snapped himself from his train of thought. He knew the first hairpin was coming up and that he had to focus.

However, once again, the sheer speed they were going at distracted him. Ryuji was sweating bullets as Ren drifted around the corner, countersteering and hitting the gas with perfect accuracy. His stomach felt weak from the lurching movements of the car; he had no idea how Ren was staying so composed. The raven-haired boy still seemed to be enjoying himself. In fact, his smirk had only extended as he cleared he hairpin. After a few more curves and turns, and two consecutive hairpins, Ryuji simply fainted in his seat, much to Ren's amusement. He finished up the rest of the run with ease before driving back up. He'd also stopped Ryuji's watch at the bottom, having clocked in at about four minutes; a time that astounded Shiho and Futaba.

By the time Ryuji came to, they were already back at the top. He panted heavily as he stepped out, Shiho handing him a water bottle.

"Crap..." he sighed with exasperation.

"I mean, you did ask him to go 'all out', to be fair." Futaba commented.

"I wasn't expecting him to go _that _fast!" Ryuji yelled in annoyance. He was especially annoyed at himself; he'd hardly learned anything he'd set out to.

"So, from what you did see," Shiho remarked with a chuckle, "What was it like?"

"Well... It was kinda weird. He was smiling the whole time, even with how hard he seemed to be pushing himself. I think he was being pretty laid-back."

Futaba's mouth hung open for a second, "Or... maybe he isn't pushing himself at all." she suggested. The trio shared some looks before looking to Ren. He was staring at his phone, seemingly as zoned out and relaxed as ever.

"I'm scared to think what it looks like when he does push himself." Ryuji thought, a small shiver shooting down his spine.

For the rest of the night, Ryuji and Shiho took turns in running the downhill. While Ren's time may have been disheartening to some, Ryuji and Shiho seemed to take it as inspiration. They saw it as something they'd be able to reach if they put in enough hard work and effort. It proceeded to keep them going for the rest of the night, pushing themselves all the while. Additionally, Ren often rode along with them, sprinkling in words of advice and guidance. It was the first time in a good while Ryuji and Shiho felt they were seriously on their way to improving.

\--

Makoto smiled as she stepped out of her and her sister's house. She took a deep breath of the fresh, spring air, enjoying the feeling of it brushing her face and running through her hair. Her smile only extended as she looked out to the street and spotted a familiar 86, and an even more familiar shaggy haired boy leaning against it.

"Hey." Ren said casually as she approached, a soft smirk on his face.

"Hi." she replied simply. Ren opened the door for her in a somewhat exaggerated manner. "Thanks." she chuckled as she sat inside. To her surprise, she found it quite comfortable. As Ren stepped around to his seat, Makoto admired the feeling; for an old car, it had been kept in remarkably good shape.

"So, anywhere in particular you wanna go?" Ren asked as he inserted the key.

"Not really. This whole thing was your idea, after all." she quipped playfully.

"Touchè." Ren chuckled as he turned the ignition. The engine rumbled with life, growling subtly as Ren began to cruise down the road. Makoto couldn't help but mirror Ren's peaceful smile as he drove. While it may have been the 86, Makoto couldn't help but feel some of the calmness she felt was thanks to him as he drove.


End file.
